By Victor Fanuel
HARARE — Harare mayor Jacob Mafume has backed the proposed Municipal Police and Courts Bill, saying stronger enforcement powers are necessary for a city of three million people, while assuring residents that clear boundaries will be drawn to prevent conflicts between municipal police and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP).
Residents’ groups have broadly supported the proposed legislation but have raised concerns over possible abuse of powers, corruption, political interference and the risk of citizens being subjected to overlapping enforcement by municipal officers and national police.
Mafume said municipalities needed additional capacity to enforce by-laws covering issues such as littering, traffic violations, noise pollution and other urban offences.
“As you know, Harare is a city of three million people. You cannot police it through persuasion and moral appeals alone.
“We have a lot of issues that we have to deal with, including bylaws around littering, traffic, noise, and municipal courts, where we have issues that need to be considered, decided upon and adjudicated among citizens,” said Mafume
He said the Bill would help councils address a range of governance challenges, including licensing, boundaries and other local authority responsibilities.
“There are also issues relating to licensing, boundaries, and many other matters that affect the governance of a city,” he said.
Mafume’s support comes as residents’ organisations have warned that the success of municipal policing will depend on safeguards against abuse and clear mechanisms to hold officers accountable.
The Harare mayor acknowledged concerns over the conduct of some municipal police officers, but said councils would take measures to professionalise the service.
“I understand there are concerns around the behaviour of certain municipal police officers. Within any organisation, there will be bad apples.
“We will identify them, retrain municipal police officers, and also participate in independent mechanisms established by the Constitution to deal with complaints against the police,” he said.
Residents have also questioned whether introducing municipal police could worsen an existing trust deficit between councils and communities.
Mafume said local authorities were aware of those concerns and were working to rebuild confidence through improved service delivery.
“I understand and acknowledge that there is a trust deficit among citizens regarding our operations, and we are working to rebuild that trust through improved service delivery and demonstrating our good intentions in dealing with residents.
“This is part of the process of addressing that trust deficit,” he said.
Zimbabwe Union of Residents and Ratepayers Associations (ZURRA) spokesperson Marvellous Kumalo recently raised concerns about the possibility of municipal police and the ZRP exercising overlapping powers, resulting in confusion over which authority has the mandate to enforce specific offences.
Mafume, responding to those concerns said the legislation would define areas of responsibility between the two institutions.
“I think we will be able to demarcate the areas of responsibility.
“There have been concerns that municipal police deal with licensing while the ZRP also deals with licensing,” he said.
Mafume said urban licensing should remain centralised within local authorities to avoid unnecessary duplication.
“Citizens should be able to access licensing services through one centre, and for urban licences, that centre is the municipality.
“I am sure the Bill will clearly define the areas that the national police force will deal with and those that municipal police will deal with,” he said.
He said Zimbabwe would not be creating an entirely new model, pointing to municipal policing systems in other cities.
“It is clear that we are not reinventing the wheel. It has happened and is happening in Johannesburg and many other cities of similar stature,” Mafume said.
The Bill is expected to proceed to Parliament for public consultations, where residents’ organisations are expected to push for stronger oversight provisions before its enactment.
